Connecticut Senate Passes HB 6599!

A little after midnight EDT the Connecticut Senate passed HB 6599 on a largely party line 20-16 vote with two Democratic Senators (Hartley and Doyle) voting against it.


The bill was already passed by the Connecticut House on a 77-62 vote on May 19, so it now goes to the desk of Gov. Dan Malloy (D), who has said he will sign the bill.

Governor Malloy called the passage of HB 6599 a "step forward in the fight for equal rights for all of Connecticut's citizens and it’s the right thing to do."

During the evening's contentious debate surrounding HB 6599 several Senators rose in opposition to hostile amendments and comments and of course the GOP haters deployed the bathroom meme again.

Their fellow senators called them on it.

Senator Williams said, "It's a matter of civil rights. It's a matter of human rights."
Senator Looney said, "It's really about civil rights. It's really about discrimination. It's really about inclusion."
Sen. Cassano said, "I am going to support this bill, because I cannot support discrimination." and "It's an absolute shame that it's been called 'a bathroom bill.'"
Sen. Beth Bye said, "It always starts with workplace protections...it's always the first step in understanding."
Sen. Coleman said, "I have never seen the degree of mean spiritedness that that I have seen on this [HB 6599] civil rights bill."
Sen. Meyer calls "bathroom" issue a red herring, cites his "marvelous lifelong friend," transsexual Renee Richards.


HB 6599, called “An Act Concerning Discrimination,” adds the words “gender identity or expression” to other groups that may not be discriminated against in jobs, housing and other areas. The law now includes, among other classes, race, age, sex, marital status and mental or physical disability.

The bill defines gender identity or expression as “a person’s gender-related identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that gender-related identity, appearance or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the person’s physiology or assigned sex at birth.”

This language in the bill concerns me in terms of setting up the potential for the po-po's intent on harassing POC transpeople of color setting up 'papers please' situations.

person must be able to provide evidence of his or her gender identity, such as medical history, “consistent and uniform assertion, or any other evidence that the gender-related identity is sincerely held, part of a person’s core identity or not being asserted for an improper purpose,”

Nevertheless, despite my concerns about that section of the law, it's a another legislative win for the trans community just days after Nevada passed three trans rights bills through their legislature.

Congratulations Connecticut.   Now if we could get Massachusetts to do the right thing.

The Texas Lege Headed To A Special Session

Today is the last day of the 82nd Texas legislative session.   Although we trans Texans got a major legislative victory this year when SB 723 died, because the Republicans wasted so much legislative time on their pet right wing social issues and this was a redistricting year, the budget didn't get dealt with until late in the session.

One of the main sticking points in passing the budget is the GOP desire to cut $4 billion over the next two years from public education despite having $6 billion dollars in the state's rainy day fund.    Democrats said no way on that and voted as a bloc to oppose HB 1 in the House.   But peeps, when you're facing a 101-49 GOP majority not much you can do to stop crappy legislation unless you get Republicans to join in, and only 15 did.

The SB 1811 companion bill in the Senate got filibustered to death Sunday thanks to Sen. Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth).  The GOP redrew her Fort Worth area district to make it next to impossible to win it assuming the GOPmandered map passes Department of Justice muster, so she decided to go out fighting for Texas school kids and torpedo this jacked up budget.

The bill can still be revived today on a 4/5 majority vote (25 senators) which means the Republicans need to get five Democratic senators to vote with them to do it.


"Those in charge have made irresponsible choices in allowing special interests to preserve tax-payer funded loopholes, while telling educators, students and working families that we can't afford to educate Texans,"  Sen. Davis said in a post filibuster news conference afterward.


Of course Governor Goodhair is not a happy camper and will probably be calling a special session to deal with the budget probably as soon as the clock strikes midnight.

While that gives the state another opportunity to get it right on school funding, it also gives State Rep Wayne Christian (R-Center) another chance to not live up to his name.  He has been trying to pass an amendment that kills GLBT centers on state college campuses.

Stay tuned Texans, we're about to go into legislative overtime in Austin.